Vanderbilt NIL collective announces launch

The Anchor Collective, a Name, Image and Likeness collective dedicated to support of Vanderbilt athletes announced its launch Tuesday.

The collective is run by a group of alumni, donors and fans. Jason Burns Sr., a former Commodores wide receiver who is one of the collective's leads, said in a news release sent to reporters that, “The Anchor Collective was established to provide student-athletes first-string NIL opportunities and fans access to personalized experiences with the teams they support.”

The release says that the collective will begin by focusing on football, baseball and basketball but hopes to expand to all sports.

The collective's website advertises that it will provide content created by athletes, meet-and-greet sessions, limited-edition merchandise and events.

“Vanderbilt Athletics continues to prioritize holistic support for our student-athletes, including with their desired NIL opportunities,” athletic director Candice Lee said in the release. “They may access an extensive network of resources and programs — both within our department and University, as well as our donors, fans and community — to ensure they have all the tools needed to reach their potential. The Anchor Collective represents another resource at our student-athletes’ disposal, which is important as the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve.”

Vanderbilt football (5-6, 2-5 SEC) faces Tennessee (7-2, 5-2) on Saturday (6:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network).

"We want there to be no compromises in choosing Vanderbilt," football coach Clark Lea said Tuesday. "That comes from first, the availability of elite education that you can come here and redefine what your future looks like by investing in your education here; obviously, to play in the SEC, and to be a part of a program that's building in this conference. ... And then certainly the the third is, as you as you experience success, and there's opportunities for you to have a market value and resources that we want to make sure that we're structured to make that available, too."

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Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.